SANA'A: The United Nations envoy to Yemen, Jamal Benomar was received on Tuesday by President Ali Abdullah Saleh to discuss the matter of the signature of the power-transfer as demanded by the 2014 UN Security Council resolution on October 21. Under the unanimously approved resolution, Saleh has one month to ink the GCC brokered proposal aimed at easing in a new government and the organization of presidential elections while guaranteeing Saleh, his family and close aides' legal immunity. Despite claiming that he was favorable to a power-transfer and even welcoming the UNSC resolution, the embattled Yemeni President has been stalling the process as he continues to want to define the terms of “the implementation mechanism.” An official close to the President said under cover of anonymity: “President Saleh refused to sign the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) initiative upon request of Benomar during the meeting in the presidential palace, instead, Saleh asked Benomar to arrange direct dialogue between his deputy Abdo-Rabbu Mansour Hadi and the opposition leaders to set up a mechanism for implementing the GCC initiative.” The source further added that Benomar categorically refused to engage in further talks as he said that enough time had been wasted already. Interestingly, as President Saleh is once again putting road blocks before a swift resolution of the current political deadlock, the state-run Saba news agency announced that the president was favorable to more dialogue and that all he demanded was a “practical mechanism and timetable” before the deal could be signed. Benomar is due to give his report on Yemen in only a few days, November 21 as it would mark the end of the timeframe given by the Security Council to Saleh before taking things further. In the streets, protesters are becoming restless as many feel that Saleh will have to be forced out rather than eased out, signaling for Yemen a descent into yet more violence and bloodshed. Saleh seemed willing to face the possibility of a civil war as he defiantly warned France 24 in an interview that it was an “eventuality.” BM
